Te Ao Māori mourns the loss of prominent te reo Māori advocate

Ngāti Hine and iwi across the nation mourn the loss of a prominent and strong advocate of te reo Māori, Erima Henare.

Mr Henare, the son of the late Sir James Henare and Lady Rose Henare passed away last night in Wellington.

Erima Henare worked tirelessly in the many roles he held throughout his lifetime to ensure the promotion, nurturing and fostering of te reo Māori among his iwi and the wider population.

Among the many roles he has held in his lifetime he served as the Chair of Te Taura Whiri i te reo Māori, he was the former Chief Executive for Ngāti Hine Health Trust, an executive director of Maori at Open Polytechnic of New Zealand, and a member of the Waitangi National Trust Board, he also served as an advisor to Kingi Tuheitia.

Mr Henare was also a beloved father and grandfather, one of his sons, Peeni is currently the serving Labour Tāmaki Makaurau MP in Parliament.

Labour MP for Te Taitokerau, Kelvin Davis has expressed his thoughts and says "The son of the late Sir James Henare and father of Tamaki Makarau MP Peeni Henare, Erima Henare was a prominent leader in the Maori world whose knowledge, language and humour will be impossible to replace".

“All the tribes of Te Tai Tokerau, in particular Ngati Hine, and across the country mourn the loss of a great man. The Labour Party sends its condolences to his whanau and hapu".

Upon arrival in Auckland this afternoon, Erima will be taken to Te Puia Marae before continuing north where he will lie at Otiria Marae.